Apparatus for producing a laterally directed spray of fluid

ABSTRACT

An elongate, rigid or semi-rigid tubular fluid conductor equipped with a fluid discharge opening at one end and a fluid inlet opening at the other end. A valve at the inlet end permits control of fluid flowing through the conduit and a removed wall section at the outlet end directs the fluid leaving the conduit laterally away from the conduit body. The outlet opening is positioned adjacent a planar end surface of the body and has lateral and longitudinal dimensions which bear a predetermined relationship to each other and to the dimensions of the flow passage extending through the conduit to provide the desired spray direction and configuration. The primary intended purpose of the apparatus is to provide a high velocity, laterally directed spray which may be directed countercurrent to the downwind direction of a heat exchange body or radiator to wash away insects and other debris clogging air flow through the radiating elements of the body.

United States Patent 9] Springer [451 Jan. 1, 1974 APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING A LATERALLY DIRECTED SPRAY OF FLUID [76] Inventor: Charles H. Springer, Rt. 1, Box 325,

Alta Lorna, Tex. 77510 [22] Filed: May 30, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 258,086

[52] US. Cl. 239/598, 239/601 [51] Int. Cl B05b 1/04 [58] Field of Search 239/597, 596, 569,

FOREIGN P Arijlvrs OR APPLICATIONS 1,212,775 3/1966 Germany 239/597 378,170 8/1932 Great Britain 239/598 Primary Examiner-M. Henson Wood, Jr. Assistant Examiner-Michael Y. Mar Attorney-Carlos A. Torres et al.

[ 5 7] ABSTRACT An elongate, rigid or semi-rigid tubular fluid conductor equipped with a fluid discharge opening at one end and a fluid inlet opening at the other end. A valve at the inlet end permits control of fluid flowing through the conduit and a removed wall section at the outlet end directs the fluid leaving the conduit laterally away from the conduit body. The outlet opening is positioned adjacent a planar end surface of the body and has lateral and longitudinal dimensions which bear a predetermined relationship to each otherand to the dimensions of the flow passage extending through the conduit to provide the desired spray direction and configuration. The primary intended purpose of the apparatus is to provide a high velocity, laterally directed spray which may be directed countercurrent to the downwind direction of a heat exchange body or radiator to wash away insects and other debris clogging air flow through the radiating elements of the body.

1 Claim, 4 Drawing Figures BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention In general, the present invention relates to devices used herein, the term fluid is intended to include liquids and gases.

The primary anticipated application of the present invention is for the purpose of removing insects, grass, leaves and other foreign materials from radiators employed for cooling automobile equipment such as engines and. air conditioning. In general, however, the invention may be employed in any application where a laterally directed, fan-shaped spray from an elongate, substantially rigid fluid conductor is necessary or desirable.

2. Description of the Prior Art In many areas in the South and Southwest, insects, flying leaves, grass and other objects accumulate in the air passages extending through the radiating elements employed to cool automobile engines and the refrigerant in automobile air conditioning systems. These accumulations can render engine and air conditioning operation inefficient and may even cause damage to the equipment employed in the systems. Conventionally, when such accumulations occur, it is common to attempt to wash them away with steam or a spray of water from a garden hose or to try to blow them off the radiators with air from a compressor. In severe cases, it is necessary to actually remove the radiators and immerse them in a cleaning solution or steam clean them or subject them to other cleaning'procedures.

It is undesirably expensive and time consuming to disassemble radiators from cooling systems merely to clean them of collected debris. Attempts to clean such radiators by conventional water and air sprays often tend only to further embed small particles in the air spaces formed between the radiating elements. In-place steam cleaning can be successful but the procedure requires the use of expensive equipment.

Preferably, the cleansing spray should be directed from the inside or downwind radiator surfaces outwardly, countercurrent to the flow of cooling air so that the lodged insects and other debris are washed out rather than being forced further into the radiator. Because of the positioning of automobile air conditioning and engine radiators, it is difficult, if not impossible, to

position a device so that the fluid stream is directed from the inside surface toward the front or upwind surface of the radiators. In addition, even if it were possible to position the outlet end of an air hose or water hose at the inside surface of the radiating element to provide the outwardly directed washing flow, the velocity of the fluid leaving a hose which is not equipped with some spray producing means may be insufficient to provide the necessary cleansing action. If such a hose is equipped with a spray producing nozzle or other device, the presence of the nozzle makes it even less likely that the hose could be properly positioned to provide an outwardly directed cleansing spray.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The apparatus of the present invention preferably includes an elongate, tubular conduit having a substantially flat bottom surface at the outlet end and a suitable valving means adjacent the inlet end controlling the entry of fluid into a cylindrical flow passage extending through the conduit. The fluid outlet is provided by an inexpensive milling, cutting or molding technique or otherwise to form a rectangular opening in the wall of the tubular conduit adjacent the flat bottom surface. With an opening having the described construction, a fan-shaped, laterally directed high pressure spray is emitted from the outlet end of the conduit without the need for a special outlet fixture and without increasing the external dimensions of the conduit.

The lateral and longitudinal dimensions of the outlet opening are related to each other to provide a relatively thin, fan-like spray which leaves the conduit in a substantially lateral direction. The rigid conduit body permits accurate positioning of the spray and the elongate, slim-line configuration allows the spray to be directed into narrow confined areas.

The valving means is provided so that the flow of fluid through the conduit and from the spray outlet may be controlled directly without requiring control at the source of the water or other fluid supplied to the apparatus of the present invention. In its preferred form, the valving means comprises a ball valve having an inlet end adapted to engage the male end of a conventional garden hose and an outlet end adapted to engage an internally threaded collar carried at the inlet of the tubular body.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent from the following specification, the related drawings and the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a vertical cross section illustrating one form of the apparatus of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a planview taken along the line 22 of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a vertical cross section taken along the line 3-3 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration depicting an exemplary cleaning technique employing the apparatus of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENT In FIG. 1, the apparatus of the present invention has been depicted generally at 10. The apparatus 10 includes an elongate, axially extending conduit 11 which may be constructed of stainless steel, plastic or other suitable self-erecting, rigid or semi-rigid materials. Preferably, the conduit 11 is circuilar in cross section and includes a cylindrical outer surface 11a and a cylindrical inner surface 11b which form a closed wall about a cylindrical flow passage 11'.

An internally threaded connecting collar 12 is carried at the inlet end of the conduit 11 and is employed to secure the conduit to a valving mechanism indicated generally at 13. Longitudinally spaced annular ridges 12a and 12b secure the collar 12 to the conduit 11 while permitting relative rotational movement between the collar and conduit. A conventional washer 14 constructed of rubber or other suitable resilient material is carried between an externally threaded outlet end 13a on the valving mechanism 13 and the conduit shoulder 12a to provide a leakproof engagement between the valve and the conduit in a conventional manner.

A valve housing section 13b of plastic or other suitable material holds a ball section 130 equipped with a central flow opening 13d. A metal connecting screw l3e which is rotatable by an external handle 13fis connected to the ball 13c. It will be appreciated that rotation of the screw l3e by manually moving the handle 13frotates the ball element 130 within the housing 13d to move the valve opening 13d to positions which permit or prevent fluid flow through the valve.

The inlet opening of the valve is equipped with an internally threaded opening 13g adapted to receive the male end of a waterhose H as shown in FIG. 2. A second washer 14a carried within the opening 13g cooperates with the end of the waterhose H to provide a leakproof seal between the valve housing 13b and the waterhose and to cooperate with the ball 13c to prevent fluid flow through the ball when the ball is rotated to its off position. If desired, valving means may be integrally formed with the conduit 11. The specific valve 13 is conventional and per se forms no part of the present invention. However, one of the features of the present invention is the provision of a readily accessible fluid control valving means adjacent the body 11 to provide direct control of fluid flow through the body thereby eliminating the need to control the flow through the valve at the inlet to the hose H.

The outlet end of the body 11 includes a spray outlet opening indicated generally at 15 formed in the wall of the conduit 11. The opening 15 includes two longitudinally extending edges 15a and 15b and two laterally extending edges 15c and 15d. The base of the body 11 is equipped with a substantially planar base surface 16. The lateral edge 15d bounds along the surface 16 so that the opening 15 and base 16 cooperate to form a spray directing structure.

The relationship of the dimensions of the lateral edges 15c and 15d to the dimensions of the longitudinal edges 15a and 15b are selected to provide a spray S which is relatively thin and fans out angularly from the opening 15. In addition, the dimensions of the lateral edges 15c and 15d bear a relationship to the internal diameter of the cylindrical surface 11b which produces the most effective spray dimensions for the dimensions of a given flow passage in a conduit.

It has been determined that a preferred spray for a cylindrical flow passage is produced when the opening 15 is substantially rectangular as defined by the two substantially parallel laterally extending edges 15c and 15d and the two substantially parallel longitudinally extending edges 15a and 15b. Preferably, the linear spacing between the edges 15a and 15b is substantially equal to or greater than the linear spacing between the edges 15c and 15d. By this means, a thin, divergent, high velocity spray is emitted from the opening 15. Preferably also, the linear spacing'between the edges 15a and 15b is approximately seven-tenths of the diameter of the cylindrical flow passage 11' extending through the conduit 11.

One of the important features of the present invention is the disposition of the opening 15 immediately adjacent the substantially planar base surface 16. The dimensions, design and placement of the opening 15 combine with the configuration of the flow passage 11' extending through the conduit 11 and the position and configuration of the end surface 16 to provide a high velocity, lateral fan-shaped spray which has been found to be extremely effective in removing foreign matter from radiators.

FIG. 4 illustrates the use of the present invention for removing insects and other foreign matter from an air conditioning radiator A. The air conditioning radiator A is normally exposed to cooling air flowing in the direction indicated in FIG. 4. conventionally. such radiators are positioned externally of an automobile engine radiator which has been designated B. In use, the conduit 11 is positioned between the two radiators A and B and held so that the spray S is directed from the downwind side of the radiator A through the radiating elements towards the upwind side of the radiator, countercurrent to the direction of cooling air flow. By this means, debris accumulated on the radiator A is washed out rather than being driven further into the air spaces between the radiating surfaces in the radiator. The fanlike configuration of the spray also cooperates with the lateral spray direction so that a relatively wide surface area on the radiator A may be cleaned in a relatively short period of time and with limited movement of the conduit 11.

From the foregoing, it may be appreciated that the apparatus of the present invention provides a laterally directed cleaning spray particularly suited for cleaning automobile radiators although other uses will be apparent. The design is simple and lends itself to low-cost construction. It will be readily appreciated that the opening 15 may be formed by a simple-cutting or milling operation or otherwise and does not require the use of an additional fixture or metal shaping procedure. In addition, by forming the opening as a removed wall section, a simple, inexpensive spray directing means is provided without requiring structure having radial projections extending outwardly from the body 11 which would restrict the movement of the body through confined areas.

The production of a spray which is emitted laterally from the side of the body is also particularly advantageous when employed to clean automobile radiators since it is often necessary to slip the rod between two closely spaced radiators. Moreover. the dimensions of the opening 15 are related to the dimensions of the flow passage extending through the conduit 11 and to the internal end surface 16 of the flow passage to provide a desirable, thin, high velocity, divergent spray which has been found particularly suited for removing foreign matter from the air flow openings in the radiators. The use of a rigid or flexible or semi-rigid rod permits the rod to be manipulated into remote, normally inaccessible locations. The valve at the inlet to the assembly permits ease of control permitting termination of fluid flow as the device is being positioned or moved from place to place and eliminating the need to go to the source supplying the hose H to effect such control.

While it is preferable that the conduit 11 extend linearly axially, it could assume certain fixed curvatures if desired to suit a particular application or it could be made of material which could be bent into a desired shape.

The foregoing disclosure and description of the invention is illustrative and explanatory thereof, and various changes in the size, shape and materials as well as in the details of the illustrated construction may be made within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. An apparatus for producing a directed spray of fluid comprising:

a. an elongate, tubular flow conduit having fluid inlet and outlet ends and a substantially planar internal base surface section at the outlet end of said conduit, said conduit being of a minimum length sufficient to extend from the edges to the center of a conventional automobile radiator and having substantially cylindrical inner and outer surfaces defining a closed wall of uniform external dimensions beginning at said outlet end and extending substantially the entire length of said conduit;

b. connector means adjacent said inlet end for connecting said conduit with a source of fluid;

c. valve means adjacent said inlet end for controlling the flow of fluid through said conduit; and

d. spray directing means cooperating with said outlet one edge along said base surface section and having lateral dimensions less than the inside diameter of said tubular body at said outlet and longitudinal dimensions which are less than said lateral dimensions. 

1. An apparatus for producing a directed spray of fluid comprising: a. an elongate, tubular flow conduit having fluid inlet and outlet ends and a substantially planar internal base surface section at the outlet end of said conduit, said conduit being of a minimum length sufficient to extend from the edges to the center of a conventional automobile radiator and having substantially cylindrical inner and outer surfaces defining a closed wall of uniform external dimensions beginning at said outlet end and extending substantially the entire length oF said conduit; b. connector means adjacent said inlet end for connecting said conduit with a source of fluid; c. valve means adjacent said inlet end for controlling the flow of fluid through said conduit; and d. spray directing means cooperating with said outlet end for directing fluid leaving said outlet end substantially laterally away from said conduit, said spray directing means including a substantially rectangular opening formed in said wall bounded at one edge along said base surface section and having lateral dimensions less than the inside diameter of said tubular body at said outlet and longitudinal dimensions which are less than said lateral dimensions. 